The art of decorating dry goods windows and interiors

Easter is especially the season for artistic decoration, and no American holiday, save Christmas, receives so much attention in decoration from our merchants. It comes after a season of comparative dullness, and as it is a time of joy and brightness, of full purses and generous hearts, extraordinary efforts are made to delight the public with gorgeous and pretty displays, and to tempt the good folks to purchase liberally all those knick-knacks and articles of apparel of which orthodox church members have denied themselves during the penitential days of lent.

If the campaign is well managed, Easter should be a bounteous harvest to every merchant. Think of all the bonnets, gloves, laces, shoes, ribbons, silks, satins and furbelows the ladies will require to “look sweet” during the Easter sermon; all the hats, neckwear, handkerchiefs, shoes, striped trousers, walking sticks and spring overcoats the gentlemen must have to fit themselves as escorts for the charming sex; all the rich foodstuffs that will be eaten off pretty linen and dishes during the Easter dinner; all the floral offerings and boutonnieres that will spend their fragrance to droop and wither in a day!

Some one will sell all these things for Easter.

What will your share be?

The answer depends much on the value of your window display as an attraction and salesman.

Of course you wish to do your best. You are in business to sell goods—to take advantage of just such warm occasions as Easter.

THE EASTER LILY.

Easter is the season of flowers. All flowers are allowable. White are preferable. But don’t use white flowers exclusively, for they will give a funereal air to the entire display. Use lilies, both calla and Easter lilies, and with them mingle roses, tulips and hyacinths, taking care to employ plenty of greenery, vines and leaves.

The lily is an emblem of Easter. Make your Easter lilies of mammoth proportions for centerpieces or corner pieces. This may be done by forming them out of cardboard, which may be covered with white surah silk, cheesecloth or white tissue paper. A good sized lily of this variety may be made by cutting sugar barrel hoops into quarter sections, as seen in the diagram, and fastening six pieces firmly together at one end. Then cut six petals from heavy cardboard and fasten to each hoop, on the outside. A similar piece is placed inside, and the edges glued or sewed together. The bit of hoop is then hidden, but forms a rib to hold the leaf in place. Place some puffed tissue in the center, if the center shows, and wind the lower end with cloth, after attaching the stem. Sometimes a doll is seen peeping from inside the mammoth lily; sometimes a nest of eggs or a brood of chicks is placed in the center. This depends upon the character of your theme.

If the lily alone is shown stamens must protrude from the center of the leaves, and these are made by covering insulating wires with chrome yellow silk and placing a small yellow ball at the end of each stamen.

THE CALLA LILY.

The calla is a beautiful lily, and is used profusely for Easter decorations. It is quite easily made in any desired size by following the method shown in the diagram. Take an oblong sheet of cardboard, indicated by the dotted lines (Fig. 1), and bend it over (Fig. 2) to form a sort of cornucopia with a projecting corner. Fasten the curled edges with glue or brass paper fasteners, and then form the projecting corner into an imitation of the curled end of the leaf in a natural lily. This may be quickly done by rolling it with your fingers. A single yellow stamen, rather thick, must project from the center, rising a little above the edges of the leaf. Now fasten on your stem, and the lily is complete. Large sizes should be covered with cloth. In small, natural sized lilies the white cardboard is a good representation of the leaf. Good effects are obtained by planting these artificial lilies in flower pots and placing these also in jardinieres. They appear more natural when shown in this way, but then leaves must be made to complete the plant.

FLORAL EMBLEMS.

The cross is the principal emblem of Easter, and is used in connection with many displays, being suitable for any line of merchandise. To be most effective it should be a floral cross, and may be formed from natural or artificial flowers. However, natural flowers are so scarce in most towns, and artificial flowers so inexpensive, that we need consider only the latter. Of these, violets are easily procurable, and are pretty and appropriate. Festoons, or bunches of them, always brighten a display. Such set pieces as the cross, crown, star, the “gates ajar” may be covered with masses of mixed flowers, in which the tint of the violet predominates, and the purity of the Easter or calla lily affords a soothing relief.

Wire netting, supported by a light framework of thin lumber, is the ground for all these floral emblems. The mesh should be much smaller than it is drawn in the accompanying design, for there is only need of space to push the stem through. Begin at one end, thrust a flower through the netting so that it covers the edge, and wind a thread around the stem from the back of the netting. When the next flower is placed in position and the thread given a turn around it, both flowers are firmly fastened. One thread unwound from the spool as needed, will fasten the entire design securely. Floral emblems made in this way are remarkably light in weight, and may be suspended in the window or placed in any desired position.

EASTER EGGS.

Easter would not be Easter without eggs, and therefore eggs will be used in many window designs. Mammoth eggs may be constructed and decorated in a hundred different ways. The mechanical egg, which opens into two or four parts, is old but always attractive. A clever idea is to build several large eggs, over light wood or wire framework, break in the front sides and show a recess in each egg in which is a “nest” of the goods you wish to call attention to. White paper cambric—the shiny side out—is the best representation of an egg shell.

Cut small price cards the shape of eggs, and place them in your Easter display; or use real eggs, with the prices neatly painted upon them.

Another idea is to blow out the insides of a number of eggs, run a thread through them and suspend them in your window at different heights. Or, cover your window floor with hay, to represent a hay mow, and put nests of decorated or dyed eggs here and there. Or, make a mammoth egg of papier mache (or a framework), covered with cloth, and use it for the center of your window. This may be made to open by dividing it into sections which are hinged a short distance from the bottom, and connecting each section with a string running to a main cord. A boy can operate it from back of the window, or it may be connected with a motor. Put a prettily dressed baby doll, or a chicken, in the center of the egg.

RABBITS AND CHICKS.

A simple way to make these, in any desired size, is to cut from heavy cardboard or thin lumber the outline of the rabbit or chicken. Then cut cloth, to extend one-fifth beyond the edge of the outline (see dotted lines), leaving more margin where the body is thickest. Glue or tack the edges, and stuff with cotton or excelsior, as shown in the end section. Paint in eyes, etc., and color with water colors.

THE MECHANICAL LILY.

To render an Easter lily mechanical, so that the petals will open and close, a small circle of wood is securely fastened to the standard rising from the floor. Each leaf (there should be six) is then hinged to this circular piece, a few inches from the lower end of the leaf. At the extreme lower point of each leaf is now fastened a cord, and all the cords are gathered into one a short distance down. Run the main cord through the floor of your window and attach it to the pivot of your water wheel. As the cord is drawn downward the leaves all close; when it is released the leaves open by their own weight. In the center of the lily may be placed any design or arrangement of goods. Sometimes the figure of a doll clinging to a cross is used.

EASTER DESIGNS.

The reader will find here a collection of beautiful designs for Easter displays, all being photographed from life. These will all be useful in conveying ideas for the arrangement of your own displays. It should be borne in mind that no window display can be accurately reproduced; yet often you will find a way to improve upon the suggestion offered you.